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Thanks to all that replied.

I',ve been able to machine it, by using Rick advices and would like to say thanks to him for this wonderful idea.
I've just tried to turn some steel I got around, that wasn't been able to get a nice finish until now, and magically I got the mirror finish I was searching for.

I would advice this mod as first mod for new ( and old ) minilathe.

Thanks again to Rick and to all .

Pigi

It looks like the folks at HF are starting a new program where you can
order catalog only items from their retail stores.

If you go to their 'other' website Here
<> , You'll see a link to a special
order dept that they seem to be setting up at all their stores.

Haven't seen this until a couple days ago, of course, I normally use the
harborfreight.com instead of the harborfreightusa.com site that now
features the special order link.

Ed
--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "troyscon" <troyscon@...> wrote:

How in the world were you able to not only order an 8x12 from a HF
store, but use the 30% off coupon? I would have killed to have been
able to get an X3 from a local HF retail store with a 30% off deal! I
thought 8x12's and other non-store items (like the X3) could never be
bought through a store.
For a lot of 8x12 parts go to Lathemaster and call Bob, especially
a QCTP which you will want FOR SURE and only from Lathemaster as the
one from LMS is too small and needs modified to fit the 8x12. Be
careful about ordering anything from LMS for this lathe without
talking to Chris or getting more info as this lathe doesn't have alot
of available parts(chucks etc) that will fit without mods and
adapters. Also,the cross slide dial on your lathe will be wrong. It
will say.002 when it is actually .001 (check for picts of the
Lathemaster 8x14 on the net and you'll see).

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "rancerupp" rupps@ wrote:

Well, I OFFICIALLY went down to HF today and ordered my 8x12. Prices
in the mags are now $529, and in-store prices show $549. Well, I had
made previous arrangements to use the 30% off coupon so even though
it expired on Monday I was able to use it today. TTL out the door,

it

cost $380.09. I think I'm gonna be happy with it. I did NOT get the
extended warranty, but I DO have a great big grin on my face. :D

I'm putting together what I want to order for accessories and other
bits. I'm currently looking at:

(LMS ____) 1 Sync Tooth belt (550m)
(LMS ____) 1 V belt (0-720)

(LMS ____) Steady Rest
(LMS 1198) Follower Rest
(LMS ____) Face Plate
(LMS 2346) 5" 4-jaw chuck
(LMS 2925) Dial Ind. Test Ind., Mag. base
(LMS ____) Knurling Tool
(LMS 1189) Live Center
(LMS 1246) Boring Bar Set
(LMS 1261) Accessory set
(LMS ____) Cut off tool (parting tool)

Do I need extras:
Extra Center Drills (LMS 1230)
Turning Tool Set (LMS 2412)

Any suggestions or missing LMS part #s would be appreciated. Thanks.

Rance

I think you will find that most will tell you the mini-lathes are a great value and many will tell you they can be improved with a little work you can do to them. Some have even said it is more like getting a "kit". However, some have said they were completely happy with them out of the box.

If it hasn't been mentioned already, www.mini-lathe.com describes chapter and verse about these things and lists a lot of the improvements that you can do and features you can add. A few things can make a big difference such as lapping the gibs and mating surfaces. And a few features are highly useful such as the guard to keep chips out of the gears on the back of the apron and making a carriage lock. If you have any basic alignment issues that are of concern to whatever parts you are making, you may have to do a little further work - but it is all doable and there is no end of help on this list and the 7x10minilathe list for such things. And much is already documented on the mini-lathe and Varmint Al sites and in the files and photos sections of the groups.

Also, tooling like quick change tool posts and chucks and also spare parts are abundantly available from www.littlemachineshop.com which is another site worth visiting.

I also have a Unimat as well as a 7x14 mini-lathe and a 12x36. The mini-lathe is simply a scaled down version of a real "engine lathe" (powered carriage feed and thread cutting ability) and things like the Unimat, Sherline, and Taig really are not, except you can get clunky options for such things.

Also, the retail of the Unimat was $139 in the 60's, as I recall, and that is about $900 today. That underscores the excellent value of the mini-lathe. It's hard to predict where the Chinese economy and labor rate may be going in the future. Perhaps the same place the Japanese did decades ago (up, up, up). I suspect the really low prices of these things may not be around forever.

Chuck K.

Thanks John , I will see how hard it is first , I have found a metal
cutting disc for the angle grinder so I might just "attack it" with
this anyway.

John


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "John" <John@...> wrote:

It pays to check the hardness before going to a lot of trouble to
shorten the taper - its easy if the taper isn't hardened -- many of
the Chinese tapers are soft.

My chuck and taper were from HF; I used a file to determine that

the

taper wasn't hardened. I then took the easy way out, grabbed the

drill

chuck in the 3 jaw and used a rolling center in the little hole in

the

end of the tang. The parting blade cut part way through easily

and I

finished up with a hacksaw while running at low RPM, then smoothed

the

end with a file.

John




--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "jcmackastro" <jm@> wrote:

Hi All,

I want to remove the tang from the morse taper that holds my

drill

chuck in the tail stock. I assume it is hard steel. I have a

hacksaw ,

metal cutting band saw and an angle grinder that I could buy a

metal

cutting blade for.

An suggestions as the best method ?

John

It pays to check the hardness before going to a lot of trouble to
shorten the taper - its easy if the taper isn't hardened -- many of
the Chinese tapers are soft.

My chuck and taper were from HF; I used a file to determine that the
taper wasn't hardened. I then took the easy way out, grabbed the drill
chuck in the 3 jaw and used a rolling center in the little hole in the
end of the tang. The parting blade cut part way through easily and I
finished up with a hacksaw while running at low RPM, then smoothed the
end with a file.

John

Itamar,
That was sound advice from Gordy - refreshing to hear yet another praise for the far eastern lathes. I thought I would just add that the supplier is maybe as important as the lathe in this case. Here in the UK I find that maybe 1 or 2% of machines that I sell might have some problem or other - parts are in the post in as short a time as possible to put things right. Find a supplier that will give you an efficient after-sales service just in case, and you'll have no regrets buying a chinese lathe. The value for money is awesome! (so my enlightened customers tell me).
Hugh

Most MT's are hardened and neither a hacksaw or bandsaw will touch them. I have cit several using an angle grinder and disc.

You need to measure carefully before you cut, if you cut too short you will not be able to ejrct it when you retract the tailstock below "0". To measure wind out the tailstock a couple of inches and mark the taper with a magic marker or tape etc then rewind to eject the MT and then wind down to "0" and measure the depth. THen transfer the measurement to the MT and cut to length.

Cut slowly and cool in water so you don't soften the MT and then face up and give a light chamfer with a bench grinder - job done!

Gerry
Leeds UK

From: "jcmackastro" <jm@...>
Reply-To: 7x12minilathe@...
To: 7x12minilathe@...
Subject: [7x12minilathe] Removing Tang From A Morse Taper
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2007 13:55:23 -0000

Hi All,

I want to remove the tang from the morse taper that holds my drill
chuck in the tail stock. I assume it is hard steel. I have a hacksaw ,
metal cutting band saw and an angle grinder that I could buy a metal
cutting blade for.

An suggestions as the best method ?

John

_________________________________________________________________
MSN Hotmail is evolving - check out the new Windows Live Mail

Thank you Gordon,
Indeed, I assumed it to be the situation.
Best regards,
Itamar.

Thanks for the reply.
I do have a 3" blade and holder. I forgot I had it until you said!!

John

- In 7x12minilathe@..., "wardwmiller" <wardmiller@...>
wrote:

John, when I wanted to shorten the tang on mine, I purchased a 3"
Cut-Off Blade with Mandrel. Then I clamped the Taper (with

suitable

padding) vertically in my X-Y vise on the drill press table. I
wrapped a wet towel around the Taper, to act as a heat sink, and
placed the Cut-Off Wheel in the drill press chuck. Running the

drill

press at slow speed, I fed the vise against it. I was surprised

how

easily it cut. After that operation, I dressed up the edge of the

cut

in the grinder.

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "jcmackastro" <jm@> wrote:

Hi All,

I want to remove the tang from the morse taper that holds my

drill

chuck in the tail stock. I assume it is hard steel. I have a

hacksaw ,

metal cutting band saw and an angle grinder that I could buy a

metal

cutting blade for.

An suggestions as the best method ?

John

John, when I wanted to shorten the tang on mine, I purchased a 3"
Cut-Off Blade with Mandrel. Then I clamped the Taper (with suitable
padding) vertically in my X-Y vise on the drill press table. I
wrapped a wet towel around the Taper, to act as a heat sink, and
placed the Cut-Off Wheel in the drill press chuck. Running the drill
press at slow speed, I fed the vise against it. I was surprised how
easily it cut. After that operation, I dressed up the edge of the cut
in the grinder.

Hi All,

I want to remove the tang from the morse taper that holds my drill
chuck in the tail stock. I assume it is hard steel. I have a hacksaw ,
metal cutting band saw and an angle grinder that I could buy a metal
cutting blade for.

An suggestions as the best method ?

John

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "Itamar Nissany" <nissanit@...>
wrote:

Hi,
I'm a new comer to this group.
My major turning jobs were in the RC aircraft modeling as well as

in the

electronics mechanical side. I'm a retired hobbyist, and none of my
activities is aimed for profit making.
So far I've been using my DB200 Unimat lathe, which is absolutely

not an

accurate machine, not mentioning its age (I bought it in the early

60s).

I would like to have your opinion regarding the suitability of a

Chinese

7x12 mini lathe as a replacement to the Unimat.

Thanks for your cooperation.
Itamar Nissany

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
HI, I've had my 7x12 for about two years. I've seen alot of people

slam the chinese lathes onthis site. But for the money, these little
machines do a really good job. As long as you take a couple light
finishing cuts they hold tolerences really well. I use mine in a
small parts machine shop business, along with a 14x40 and a couple
mills and other assorted machines. So I get daily use out of them
and have had no problems. I've been pleased with mine and would
suggest it to anyone....GORDY

Hi,
I'm a new comer to this group.
My major turning jobs were in the RC aircraft modeling as well as in the
electronics mechanical side. I'm a retired hobbyist, and none of my
activities is aimed for profit making.
So far I've been using my DB200 Unimat lathe, which is absolutely not an
accurate machine, not mentioning its age (I bought it in the early 60s).

I would like to have your opinion regarding the suitability of a Chinese
7x12 mini lathe as a replacement to the Unimat.

Thanks for your cooperation.
Itamar Nissany

Thanks - Great Link to Varmint Al's, that'll get me started. I'll get
an order in to Enco too, they're pretty quick - I'm sure I'll have the
tools before the lathe arrives.

Anyone in the Northern VA area know where I can pick up some bar and
round stock? I'd like to avoid shipping on raw metal.

Just because you have a small lathe doesn't mean you shouldn't use
big tools. Big tools give you more leverage. See if you can talk to a
local woodturner (in person) and get their opinion on what tools you
should try and "how" to use them.


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "wrlabs" <wrlabs@...> wrote:

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@> wrote:

Those may work, looks like "lathe" was put in the description to
catch search engines - they look like carving chisels more than

lathe

chisels. Then again, for turning on a small lathe, you can get

away

with using almost anything that's a usable shape.

I wondered about that. I *assumed* that the difference in the

handles

had to do with the small lathe, keyword *assumed* :-).

Well, if they don't work out, I learned something.

Some nice stuff there, bookmarked the chisels just in case the ones

I

got don't work out.

Thanks & take care, Vikki.

Not certain... This (
) is
the exact set that I bought when I bought my lathe. Like I said, the results
on aluminum were lousy. My assumption of the problem is two things... By all
accounts, aluminum cuts better with HSS. In addition, Aluminum cutters
should have a top rake, which those bits don't have. I'm not saying that the
carbide bits don't have their place, but considering how expensive they are,
and the poor results, I would certainly avoid them. Grinding HSS bits is
easy enough, & the grinder is cheap enough that it seems well worth
learning.

From my experience, HF is VERY wishy-washy. It depends on who you
talk to, which store, etc. Aparently this store started a Special
Order program about a week and a half ago. They didn't even bat an
eye when I gave them the coupon from the web.

I know what you mean about the 8x vs. 7x for parts. That was one of
the tradeoffs when I decided on this machine. I knew it going in.
Thanks for the tip when ordering from LMS.


--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "troyscon" <troyscon@...> wrote:

How in the world were you able to not only order an 8x12 from a

HF

store, but use the 30% off coupon? I would have killed to have been
able to get an X3 from a local HF retail store with a 30% off

deal! I

thought 8x12's and other non-store items (like the X3) could never

be

bought through a store.
For a lot of 8x12 parts go to Lathemaster and call Bob,

especially

a QCTP which you will want FOR SURE and only from Lathemaster as the
one from LMS is too small and needs modified to fit the 8x12. Be
careful about ordering anything from LMS for this lathe without
talking to Chris or getting more info as this lathe doesn't have

alot

of available parts(chucks etc) that will fit without mods and
adapters. Also,the cross slide dial on your lathe will be wrong. It
will say.002 when it is actually .001 (check for picts of the
Lathemaster 8x14 on the net and you'll see).

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "roylowenthal"
<roylowenthal@...> wrote:

Those may work, looks like "lathe" was put in the description to
catch search engines - they look like carving chisels more than lathe
chisels. Then again, for turning on a small lathe, you can get away
with using almost anything that's a usable shape.

I wondered about that. I *assumed* that the difference in the handles
had to do with the small lathe, keyword *assumed* :-).

Well, if they don't work out, I learned something.

Some nice stuff there, bookmarked the chisels just in case the ones I
got don't work out.

Thanks & take care, Vikki.

ARC eurotrade are selling the little X1L mill with long bed extensions
in both directions for ?201+postage. Check out:



Stu G

Those may work, looks like "lathe" was put in the description to
catch search engines - they look like carving chisels more than lathe
chisels. Then again, for turning on a small lathe, you can get away
with using almost anything that's a usable shape.



Roy

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "wrlabs" <wrlabs@...> wrote:

Hi Rance,

Thanks for the response!

--- In 7x12minilathe@..., "rancerupp" <rupps@> wrote:

Vikki,

Its good to hear from the ladies here. After looking at the pic

of

what you bought, I can't see it being very sturdy as designed. I
think I would go with something like what Barry built. The tool

post

is best supported from below, not from the side.

As I have it set up now, it seems pretty sturdy, but the mount is
heavy and it is indeed hanging all off one side. Once we get moved
I'll be able to set up more of a work area and be able to build up
something like Barry did. Here in the apartment I spend more time
getting stuff out and putting stuff away than actually doing things

in

the limited space available.

As for height, you
want the TIP of your gouge or skew where it meets the wood to be

on

center, this puts the tool rest below center. Remember your tool

will

be held at an angle (handle drooping 10-20 degrees below

horizontal).

Hope this helps. I plan on using my lathe for wood initially so

I'll

be able to give you more feedback in a few weeks.

I do indeed have much to learn, apparently I misunderstand. What I
found so far was the recommendation to do scraping first to get used
to the tools which I understood to be done with the rest on center.

It was a newbie safety recommendation. I think I need to get some
videos or books on wood turning, just because I am not planning on
doing a lot of it is no reason to fake it all the way <blush> :-).

With the other chisels it did say to use the built in slope on the
rest and extend to the center.

My chisels should be here Tuesday and I can get on with it! Picking
the right chisels was a rather daunting job but I finally picked

this set:

Tool-
Set_W0QQitemZ280094649015QQcategoryZ57125QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZ
ViewItem

All the others I found looked to be way too long for the Mini-

Lathe.

Hope I did good as those sure seemed to be very reasonable. Worst
case they are an educational expense :-).

Will MUCH appreciate any comments, experiences or pix. I sorta
stagger around in the dark here until I either get some good books

or

find a videos I can learn from, so far I have been lucky :).

What got me interested in all this was a girlfriend who had a 7x10

(?)

that she made pens on (quite nice ones too!). Later I ran into a
fellow Ham Radio Operator who had his own mom-n-pop machine shop

and I

was flat hooked! This just gets to be more fun as time goes on and
being able to make useful stuff is just incredible!!!

Long day here already, much going on, hope this makes some sense.

Thanks & take care, Vikki.